Oregon PowerNow CS1500 Review

November 13, 2015

Prior to purchasing the CS1500, I had never heard of Oregon PowerNow, let alone purchased one of their tools.

Their latest chainsaw, however, has been getting a lot of attention lately. And this is largely the result of its ultra ergonomic design and having practically every usability feature that you could think of.

Being both corded and electric, it’s limitations should be obvious. But if you don’t need the power, why deal with gas fumes?

First Impressions

The CS1500 arrives in one piece and with detailed instructions. For those with chainsaw experience, it will be pretty much be scan, plug in and go. For first time buyers, on the other hand, the diagrams and non technical language should get you up to speed within 20 minutes.

Performance

The 18 guide-bar is generous but the 15 Amps of power means that this is a tool for light yard work only.

Technically, it can be used to fell medium trees. But a gas chainsaw of equal length will always get the job done in a fraction of the time.

I personally tested it on:

Logs: Better than a gas chainsaw. Time difference is negligible. Everything else is superior.

Tree Branches: Anything less than 10 inches and I’d choose this over a gas chainsaw any day.

In other words, provided it’s being used as intended (exclusively for light tasks), it gets everything right.

And for odd jobs that aren’t so light, the 18 inch guide-bar means that you will need patience but you won’t need to buy a new tool.

Usability

This is why you buy the CS1500. The specs are standard for an electric chainsaw. The price is standard for the specs. You buy the CS1500 because it couldn’t be easier to use.

Zero maintenance. Literally nothing.

On/off requires a push of a switch.

Lighter than a gas chainsaw. Lighter than most electric chainsaws of equal class.

Silent in between cuts, still quieter than a gas chainsaw when cutting.

Tool Less Tensioning: Chain tension is adjusted with a dial rather than a tool. In other words, you can move from job to job without stopping.

Self Sharpening Blade: For light yard work, a dull chain isn’t a regular occurrence. And this is therefore more of a gimmick than a genuine reason to buy. In saying that, however, it works. And being me, I kind of like it.

Safety Features

The CS1500 is equipped with pretty much everything that you could want. The guide-bar is designed to reduce the likelihood of kickback. This is achieved with the use of plastic safety teeth every inch and a slimmer tip overall. This is combined with an integrated chain break and front and rear hand guards. As always however, I feel compelled to mention that none of the above means anything if you don’t already have a firm understanding of chainsaw safety.

Reputation

The CS1500 has only been out a couple of months and as a result, customer reviews on Amazon have only just hit 44. The overall rating is positive at 4.5 stars out of 5 with 89 percent of people giving it 4 stars or more. Negative reviews, strangely enough, mostly complained about the same thing; the chain jumping off. This isn’t something I personally experienced.

Durability

The CS1500 obviously hasn’t been out long enough to judge. It’s predecessor, however, the now discontinued CS2500, was on the market for over 4 years. And during that time, it was reviewed 160 times for an average rating of 4.7 stars out of 5. Personally, that leaves me pretty confident but you could also argue that it’s completely irrelevant. In terms of guarantees, it comes with a 2 year consumer and 1 year professional.

Verdict

The CS1500 is everything that an electric chainsaw should be. Power is maxed out at 15 Amps. The benefits of electric over gas are maxed out by near perfect design. And unlike some of their competitors, Oregon have kept the price reasonable at $140.

If you need a gas or battery powered chainsaw, the choices are endless. If you’re stuck on cordless, however, I think this is a pretty easy choice.

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